Ga. High School Football Players Rush into House Fire to Save Residents and Pets: 'Beyond Proud'
Three teenage boys are being praised as heroes after they selflessly jumped into action and saved the residents and pets inside a burning Georgia home.
Ryan Seymour, Kai Keller and Pearson Blair were together on Saturday afternoon when they noticed a house that was engulfed in flames, according to a tweet from South Paulding High School's Head Football Coach Jason Nash.
Without a second thought, the trio of 14-year-olds rushed to help the residents and their beloved pets from the neighborhood blaze, leaving many members of the community in awe of their heroic actions.
"It amazes me that three 14-year-old boys jumped into action without hesitation," Nash tells PEOPLE of the freshmen players. "My first reaction was a great big smile and to show my wife about how courageous these three were."
"I am beyond proud of them, and they deserve every bit of recognition they can get," he adds.
Coach Nash/Twitter The student-athletes
Coach Nash/Twitter One of the football players who helped the Georgia residents and pets
When the boys first spotted the fire, Blair reportedly entered the home and helped a child and a Great Dane escape safely, according to ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
Meanwhile, Seymour and Keller found water hoses that they could use to put out the fire, which was so hot that it broke windows, the outlet reported.
At this time, it is unclear what caused the fire. Officials with the Paulding County Fire Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
After successfully rescuing the child and animal inside, Nash tweeted about their heroic actions, writing on Twitter alongside photos of the boys: "Being selfless & a good human being isn’t hard. Proud to call them SPARTANS."
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Speaking to PEOPLE, Nash says his athletes are "true teammates" and boys that "anyone would be proud to claim as their sons."
"[They're] the kind of teammate everyone wants because you know if you need help or just a pick me up they’ve got you," he explains. "They are extremely hard working and want to be champions in any endeavor they are involved in."
Nash also notes that despite helping others in a dangerous situation, the boys don't consider themselves to be heroes.
The football coach says, "They simply said they did what they did because it was the right thing to do and people needed help."
"As their head coach, I’m proud because my staff and I are always preaching about how football is bigger than the individual," he adds. "It extends into our communities and to those who can not help themselves and we should always set the bar when it comes to being good students, friends, siblings, sons, future husbands, and men of character and action."
